Isaiah for Advent - Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Isaiah for Advent - Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Isaiah for Advent - Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
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y dynastic inertia--Solomon and all his successors became king because their f<strong>at</strong>her was<br />
king be<strong>for</strong>e them. 6<br />
This future and ideal king will be a righteous administr<strong>at</strong>or <strong>of</strong> justice, as was<br />
expected <strong>of</strong> all Israelite kings (Ps 72:12-14) and <strong>of</strong> all royalty in the Ancient Near East in<br />
general. He will not be influenced by bribes or by those <strong>of</strong> wealth or high st<strong>at</strong>ion (v 3);<br />
he will have a preferential option <strong>for</strong> the poor (v 4a); and he will announce harsh verdicts<br />
on the arrogant wicked (v 4b). 7<br />
Another paragraph (11:6-9) announces the paradisal conditions th<strong>at</strong> will prevail<br />
during/because <strong>of</strong> the reign <strong>of</strong> this new king. Wild and domestic animals will become<br />
strange bedfellows and dinner companions--wolves with lambs, panthers with young<br />
go<strong>at</strong>s, and cows and lions, with a young child tending this mongrel herd. Cow and bear<br />
will e<strong>at</strong> from the same pasture, and the carnivorous lion will become vegetarian. 8 Human<br />
infants will play with horned vipers; yes, nursing babies will put their hand into the lairs<br />
<strong>of</strong> vipers with no harm resulting. The earth will be trans<strong>for</strong>med into the Garden <strong>of</strong> Eden,<br />
th<strong>at</strong> is, conditions <strong>of</strong> the end time will return to the conditions enjoyed by our first<br />
parents. 9 The last verse in this paragraph <strong>at</strong>tributes this trans<strong>for</strong>m<strong>at</strong>ion from a violent to a<br />
non-violent world to the universal acknowledgment <strong>of</strong> Yahweh's sovereignty, a picture<br />
not unlike <strong>Isaiah</strong> 2 and Micah 4.<br />
The lectionary, somewh<strong>at</strong> inappropri<strong>at</strong>ely, includes v 10 in this pericope, even<br />
though scholarship is strongly inclined to say th<strong>at</strong> Isa 11:10-16 comes from a much l<strong>at</strong>er<br />
6 The only exception is Athaliah, the queen mother <strong>of</strong> Ahaziah, who seized power <strong>for</strong> six years after<br />
<strong>at</strong>tempting to wipe out the rest <strong>of</strong> the royal household (2 Kgs 11:1-3).<br />
7 The word "earth" in v 4 is commonly emended to the similar-looking word (in Hebrew) "arrogant," which<br />
makes a better parallel with "wicked." The "rod <strong>of</strong> his mouth" and "the bre<strong>at</strong>h <strong>of</strong> his lips" are metaphorical<br />
descriptions <strong>of</strong> the king's role as judge. This image <strong>of</strong> the mouth as weapon was taken literally in Rev<br />
19:15 where Jesus is depicted with a sharp sword projecting from his mouth.<br />
8 These thoughts are repe<strong>at</strong>ed in Isa 65:25.<br />
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